Hat-pin guard.



1. WOOD.

HAT PIN GUARD. APPLICATION FILED MAYIZ. 1913 1,216,905. I 'Patented Feb.26; 1917.

JAMES WOOD, or BIN'GI-IAMTON, NEW YORK.

HAT-PIN GUARD.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed lxiay 12, 1913. Serial N 0. 767,120.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JAMES VVooD, citizen ofthe United States, residing at Binghamton, in the county of Broome andState of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inHat-Pin Guards, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates more particularly to guards and losspreventing devices for hat pins and similar articles, and has for itsobject to provide a device of this character which can be easily andquickly applied to and removed from the pointed end of the pin, andwhich embodies novel features of construction whereby the pointed end ofthe hat pin will be securely gripped at a plurality of independentplaces in the length thereof so as to prevent the accidental withdrawalof the pin from the guard.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of thischaracter which is simple and inexpensive in its construction, whichwill tenaciously grip the point of the pin to prevent withdrawal thereoffrom the guard, and which will. operate in an effective manner both toprevent loss of the hat pin and also to provide a guard for the pointthereof which eliminates all danger of persons being injured thereby.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certainnovel combinations and arrangements of the parts as will more fullyappear as the description proceeds, the novel features thereof beingpointed out in the appended claim.

For a full understanding of the invention, reference is to be had to thefollowing description and accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is aperspective view of the spring before it is bent into final form.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the'spring after it has been bent intofinal form.

Fig. 3 is a PQISPGCtlXB view of the device, the parts being shown asseparated, and

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the device as applied tothe pointof a hat pin.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the followingdescription and indicated in all the views of the drawing by the samereference characters.

With particular reference to the construction shown in the accompanyingdrawings, the numeral 1 designates a thin steel spring formed of a fiatstrip of material theppposite end portions thereof being bowed upwardlyas indicated at 2 and 3. Between the said bowed or crimped portions 2and 3 of the spring strip 1, and on each side of the flat centralportion of the latter, the same is provided with the raised or crimpedportions 4 and 5 whose flat tops are alined with the highest points ofthe bowed portions 2 and 3. The spring 1 having the form shown in Fig. 1and shaped as previously described is bent or doubled upon itself at itscentral portion in such a manner that the flat top of the raised orcrimped portion 4 bears against or has an opposed relation to the fiattop of the raised or crimped portion 5, and the highest points of thebowed or crimped ends 2 and 3 meet, the spring 1 then assuming the shapeand form shown in Fig. 2.

Further, in connection with the jaw formed by the portions 4 and 5, itwill be observed that the same is of greater area than the jaw formed bythe bowed portions 2 and 3. The reason for this is to obtain a greatercushioning effect for the end ofthe pin. In other words, the larger areaof the second jaw presents a greater frictional contact grip than thefirst jaw, thereby more firmly clutching the pin to prevent loss,

while at the same time preventing the point of the pin from entering toofar within the casing and being dulled by contact with the hard metallicspring at the point where it bends double. The spring 1 when bentto itsfinal form,

as shown by Fig. 2, has a flared mouth 6 provided by the bowed ends 2and 8 of the spring strip. It will also be observed that the bowed ends2 and 3 of the spring strip cooperate with each other to provide opposedjaws for gripping the hat pin, and that in a similar manner the crimpedportions 4 and 5 cooperate with each other to provide a second set ofopposed jaws for gripping the hat pin at another point in the lengththereof. 7 v

This spring 1 in its finished state is inserted within a cylindricalcasing or barrel 9 which is closed at one end as indicated at 10 andopen at the opposite end. The spring 1 fits snugly in the barrel 9 sothat all of its outwardly bowed or bent portions contact with theinterior walls of the barrel, as indicated at A, thus tending tokeep thetwo sets of opposed jaws in the spring Patented Feb. 20, 1917..

in close meeting relation and greatly aiding the same in givingincreased gripping force for engaging a pin P or other element insertedinto the guard. It will be evident that when the two sets of jaws areforced apart that the entire spring will be expanded and the force ofthe expansion transmitted to the interior walls of the bar rel 9, thesaid walls because of their rigidity serving to exert a restraininginfluence upon the expansion of the spring and forcing apart of thejaws. It will also be observed that upon the pin P or other similarmember entering the first set of jaws pro- 'vided by the bowed ends 2and 3 of the spring strip, the second set of jaws pro vided by thecrimped portions 4: and 5 will be forced more tightly together, so thatupon the pin passing between the second set of jaws it will be veryforcibly gripped. In a similar manner, as the pin passes through thesecond set of jaws provided by the criniped portions 1- and 5, theexpansion of the spring strip produced by the opening of the jaws willbe partially transmitted back to the first set of jaws so as to tightenthe grip of the first set of jaws upon the pin, this action being due tothe fact that, as previously described, the spring is confined withinthe barrel or cylinder 9 and contacts therewith at the points A so thatthe expansion produced by the opening of. one set of jaws is transmittedto the opposite set of jaws. An effective double grip is thus obtainedupon the pin so as to securely engage the pin and eliminate danger ofaccidental withdrawal of the guard therefrom.

A bell shaped pin guide member 12 is applied to the open end of thebarrel 9, the said guide being formed with a flared mouth 13 and alsowith a cylindrical neck portion 1a adapted to enter the open end of thebarrel and be securely fastened therein in any suitable manner. This pinguide 12 serves to hold the spring 1 within the barrel or casing 9 andalso to accurately direct the point of the pin into engagement with theouter set of opposed spring jaws. It will be noticed that the neck 14;of the guide 12 terminates but a short distance from the free ends ofthe spring 1 so that the expansion of the entire spring and its tendencyto flatten out or elongate when the jaws are forced apart is checked.Thus, since the expansion of the spring 1 is limited laterally by thewalls of the barrel A, and longitudinally by the closed end 10 of thebarrel and the neck 14: of the guide 12, the result obtained is anextremely effective plural grip which causes the device to tenaciouslyengage the hat pin so as to prevent possibility of loss thereof and alsoprovide a sheath for the pointed extremity thereof to preventpossibility of injury.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

A hat pin point protector comprising a tubular casing member closed atone end, and a point engaging and holding element within the casing,said element being a single spring of flat cross-section and substantially U-shaped formation, each member thereof having similarcrimped portions contacting with each other for a portion of theirlengthand forming a plurality of sets of gripping jaws, the set of jawsnearest the open end of the casing being of lesser gripping area thanthe other set, and said spring being arranged in the casing whereby thebowed portions thereof between the jaws directly contact therewith, anda pin'guide fitted in the open endof the casing and limiting theelongation of the spring to thereby transmit greater gripping force tosaid jaws thereof.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES WOOD.

Witnesses:

ROBERT S. PARSONS,- H. J. TI'LLAPAUGH.

Copies-of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

